BY JULIE LEVIN Special to The Miami Herald
Gone are the days when high school journalism class meant a pad and pencil.
In teacher Jamie Aquino's journalism class at Plantation High School, the students are doing their learning online, with what they hope will become a global initiative.
They've created a website, called Pier2Pier with a goal to spearhead a worldwide conservation effort for Florida's dolphins and manatees.
''My students and I want to reach as many young people as possible with the message of conservation and protection for marine mammals,'' Aquino said. ``We plan on getting our message across through a variety of ways, including a newsletter, website, public service announcements and fundraisers.''
The website is formatted as a learning tool, with students gaining experience not only in writing articles but learning how to post them, creating newsletters, marketing their project and designing their site.
''They are all journalism skills they can use in the real world,'' Aquino said. ``It shows you can teach journalism in really unique ways.''
Students in Aquino's two journalism classes are each taking a different role in getting the word out to fellow students around the world.
It was Jonathon Antoine's job to work on the newsletter that introduces the initiative. The 16-year-old sophomore from Sunrise said the project has given him a new look at how the media work.
''I see how Internet websites function and how you interview people,'' he said.
The students are working with a host of state, federal and international agencies. Their initial push is to raise funds to assist marine mammal rescue networks in Florida, purchase recycling bins where old fishing lines can be collected to reduce marine debris and entanglement, and raise as much as $50,000 to help build an education and conservation project in Haiti.
Student Rahsul Shaw of Sunrise wants to be a TV sports anchor one day. For now, he is serving as Pier2Pier spokesman, trying to rally support among students, media and even celebrities by contacting their agents via e-mail.
''We feel if we could get someone popular involved, we could get children involved and expand to a greater audience,'' the 18-year-old senior said.
The initiative was created by Aquino, who grew up in South Florida and always loved marine life. When she started teaching three years ago, she began looking for something that could bring attention to the creatures' plight while creating a teaching tool.
She approached Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, who lives in Florida and is known not only for his music but also for his love of the water.
They contacted the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species, which agreed to sponsor Pier2Pier as part of its Year of the Dolphin campaign and make Carter a special ambassador for the 2008 campaign.
Other organizations involved in their effort include the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, the Save the Manatee Club, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
They also will be working with the Bryan Adams Foundation to help build a high school and marine conservation program in Labadie, on Haiti's northern coast.
Elie Darius, originally of Haiti, is one of several students in the program from a Caribbean country. He grew up in Limbe, not far from the village where they hope to set up the school.
''Where I come from is a hard place to live and we don't have opportunities like Americans, so it feels good to help out,'' said Elie, 17.
Pier2Pier will have its first Dinner for the Dolphins fundraiser on May 4 aboard the Jungle Queen tour boat at 801 Seabreeze Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. The evening will feature celebrity guests, live music and a silent auction. The event is open to the public. Tickets cost $30 per person. For information, visit www.pier2pier.net or call Jamie Aquino at 954- 439-6458.
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